Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Peter SchorschSeptember 6, 2017

Republican Sen. Keith Perry picked up a second challenger in his re-election campaign for Gainesville-based Senate District 8. Kayser Enneking filed for the seat on Friday and is the second Democrat in the race after Olysha Magruder, who filed for the seat back in June. Enneking is an anesthesiologist and is currently working as the […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 8, 2016

A contentious — and expensive — general election in Senate District 8 went the way of Republican Keith Perry over Democrat Rod Smith. With 226,438 votes counted throughout the three-county North Central Florida district, Perry was ahead 119,968 to 107,270 — a margin of 52 to 48 percent. This was a priority race for the Democratic Party, yet Perry got […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 1, 2016

State Senate candidate Rod Smith got a key endorsement from former Florida governor and U.S. senator Bob Graham Tuesday in the competitive race in Senate District 8. Graham, motivated by environmental concerns, cited those as a key reason for backing Smith. “I’m proud to support Rod Smith in his race for state Senate. He is the only […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 31, 2016

The latest finance reports in the high-profile race in Senate District 8 show that as of Oct. 21, Republican Keith Perry leads Democrat Rod Smith in cash-on-hand. Perry has $82,865 on hand of the $645,152 he had raised in the campaign through Oct. 21. The Republican raised $33,095 of that in the most recent week, a number bolstered […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 17, 2016

Between them, Democrat Rod Smith and Republican Keith Perry have raised over a million dollars in their quests to win Senate District 8. Both men have enjoyed support from their state parties. And their total money raised is pretty similar. Smith actually leads Perry, barely, in terms of hard money raised: $539,570 for Smith to $537,997 for Perry. […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 14, 2016

Both Republicans and Democrats have prioritized the race in the Gainesville-centric Senate District 8 race, and Democrat Rod Smith‘s latest campaign finance report provides yet more evidence that, for Democrats, this one is a must-win. All told, Smith has raised $539,570, received $227,939 in in-kind contributions (largely staff and polling from the Florida Democratic Party), and […]

Drew WilsonApril 12, 2016

March clocked in as one of the best fundraising months in Gainesville Republican Rep. Keith Perry’s political career. However, it paled in comparison to his opponent’s first-month haul in the race for the new Senate District 8. The March report shows just over $53,000 in contributions, nearly all of it from within the borders of […]

Staff ReportsFebruary 25, 2016

Republican Rep. Keith Perry announced Thursday he would forego his final term in the House and run for the newly redrawn Senate District 8 seat. “It really has been an honor to work for you in the Florida House. I’m proud to have helped cut taxes by hundreds of millions of dollars, and because of […]

Tag: SD 8

Keith Perry picks up second Democratic challenger

Keith Perry downs Rod Smith in SD 8 donnybrook

Bob Graham backs Rod Smith in SD 8 race

Keith Perry leads Rod Smith in cash on hand in SD 8 race

Keith Perry leads Rod Smith in cash-on-hand in SD 8 race

Big spending for and by Rod Smith in competitive state Senate race

Keith Perry’s solid March fundraising in SD 8 pales compared to Democrat Rod Smith

Keith Perry announces SD 8 run